Pavement marking was an early method used for directing motor and foot traffic. In the era of brick roads, different colored bricks were used to convey safety information. Later, paint was used; however, early paints had poor durability under the demanding conditions of foot and motorized traffic and the environment. In addition, pavement painting was usually a time consuming and disruptive task. Paint required drying time and traffic had to be kept off the painted surface until drying was complete. Rain, cold and heat adversely affected the drying time and the success of the operation. Once paint was dry and in use, it was often difficult to remove when changes in the traffic pattern were required.
More recently, pavement tapes have been used for marking pavement, for example, to delineate pedestrian crossings and lane markings. Although pavement tapes could be applied more quickly than paint, reducing traffic disruptions, early pavement marking tapes had limited visibility and poor durability under many road conditions. Improved tapes permitted long-term or temporary application and provided skid resistance, low-temperature durability, high-temperature durability and reflectivity.